Janazah

To Allah we belong, and to Him we return (2:156). These rites are a fard kifayah — a duty the community carries together, so no family ever stands alone.

When death approaches

Gentleness, talqeen and presence.

• ◆Sit close, comfort them, and gently prompt (talqeen) the words La ilaha illallah — without insisting or repeating over them."Exhort to recite 'There is no god but Allah' to those of you who are dying" — Muslim 916. Whoever's last words are these enters Paradise (Abu Dawud 3116).
• ◆Make dua for ease, keep the room calm, and let them see faces of love, not panic.
• ◆Reciting Surah Ya-Sin near the dying is a widespread practice.Its hadith (Abu Dawud 3121) is graded weak by many scholars — recite Qur'an for comfort without holding it obligatory.

The moment after passing

Close the eyes · cover · hasten.

• ◆Gently close the eyes and make dua for the departed.The Prophet ﷺ closed Abu Salamah's eyes and said: "When the soul is taken away the sight follows it" — Muslim 920.
• ◆Cover the whole body with a clean sheet — Bukhari 5814.
• ◆Inform relatives and the masjid; begin arrangements without delay."It is not advisable that the corpse of a Muslim should remain withheld among his family" — Abu Dawud 3159.
• ◆Move quickly on the deceased's debts."The believer's soul is suspended by his debt until it is settled for him" — Tirmidhi 1078.

Ghusl — washing the body

Who washes, and how.

• ◆Same gender washes the deceased; a spouse may wash their spouse. Those closest in kinship and knowledge lead.
• ◆Wash an odd number of times — three, five or more — with water and lote (sidr/ber) leaves, adding camphor in the final wash.The Prophet's ﷺ instruction for his daughter's ghusl — Bukhari 1253.
• ◆Begin with the right side and the places of wudu — Bukhari 1255.
• ◆A woman's hair is washed and braided in three plaits, laid behind her — Bukhari 1263.
• ◆Keep the awrah covered throughout; handle with utter gentleness; whatever is seen stays private.

Kafan — shrouding

Simple, white, perfumed.

• ◆A man is shrouded in three plain white sheets — no shirt, no turban — as the Prophet ﷺ himself was.Bukhari 1264.
• ◆A woman is commonly shrouded in five pieces (wrap, waist cloth, shirt, head cover, outer wrap) in Hanafi practice.Based on the hadith of Umm Kulthum (Abu Dawud 3157), which carries some weakness — the five-piece kafan is the established practice.
• ◆Perfume the shroud with camphor. Simplicity is the sunnah.

Salat al-Janazah

Four takbirs, standing — no ruku or sujud.

• ◆After the 1st takbir: the thana — Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakasmuka, wa ta'ala jadduka, wa jalla thana'uka, wa la ilaha ghairuk (Hanafi; other schools recite al-Fatihah here).
• ◆After the 2nd takbir: Durood Ibrahim in full.
• ◆After the 3rd takbir: dua for the deceased and all Muslims — living and departed."Allahummaghfir li-hayyina wa mayyitina..." — Tirmidhi 1024.
• ◆After the 4th takbir: a brief pause, then salam.
• ◆Form odd rows behind the imam; praying and staying until burial carries mountain-like reward."He who attends the funeral till the prayer is offered has one qirat, and he who attends till burial has two qirats … each like a huge mountain" — Muslim 945.

Burial

Qibla-facing, unadorned earth.

• ◆Carry and proceed with calm haste — Bukhari 1315.
• ◆Lower the deceased onto the right side, facing the qibla, saying: Bismillahi wa 'ala millati Rasulillah.Abu Dawud 3213.
• ◆Each attendee may pour three handfuls of earth. Graves stay simple — no plastering or structures over them (Muslim 970).
• ◆Stand afterwards and seek forgiveness and firmness for the deceased — the questioning has begun."Seek forgiveness for your brother, and beg steadfastness for him, for he will be questioned now" — Abu Dawud 3221.

Condolence & mourning

What to say, cook, and avoid.

• ◆Say to the family: "Whatever Allah takes is for Him, and whatever He gives is for Him, and everything with Him has an appointed term … so be patient and hope for His reward."The Prophet's ﷺ own words of condolence — Bukhari 1284.
• ◆Cook and send food for the grieving household."Prepare some food for the family of Ja'far, for indeed something has happened to them that will keep them busy" — Tirmidhi 998.
• ◆Tears are mercy; wailing, tearing clothes and eulogizing excessively are not from the sunnah (Bukhari 1294, 1303).
• ◆Mourning is up to three days — except a widow, whose iddah is four months and ten days — Bukhari 1280.
• ◆True patience is at the first stroke of grief — Bukhari 1283.

Debts, will & inheritance

The rights that remain.

• ◆Settle every debt from the estate before anything else — the soul remains attached to it (Tirmidhi 1078).
• ◆Honour any written wasiyyah — up to one-third, for non-heirs (Bukhari 2738).
• ◆Divide what remains by the shares Allah fixed in Surah an-Nisa — use an inheritance calculator and sit with a scholar.
• ◆Keep their book open: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child's dua continue to reach them (Muslim 1631).